Scaling the Walls of Jericho
by Catheryne
Summary: Written Sept 2002. M&M. Michael returns to Roswell after two years, and comes to find that everything's changed. Uploaded as part of my effort to archive some old fics with the back to back shutdown of Candy sites.


Scaling the Walls of Jericho

Part 1

2004

Dust rose when the dusty black boot hit the ground. He handed a crumpled bill to the cab driver and grunted in reply to his thanks. Michael took his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

He turned around and looked up at the lighted sign. The Crashdown Café did not change at all in the time he was away. The same slack jawed tourists probably kept it the way it was. The same greasy food must still be served here. The booths and tables should still look the same. Hopefully, he would find the same friends inside.

Michael stepped into the diner packed with the six o'clock crowd. His eyes surreptitiously scanned the place for any familiar face, but did not spot any. Instead, he settled into a faraway booth, where he could watch unseen.

A short while later, not more than three minutes since he arrived, a short redheaded waitress asked for his order. He recognized her as a freshman in Roswell High at the time he left. He muttered his order, to which the girl smilingly requested that he repeat it.

"Cherry cola. Will Smith. Give me two bottles of Tabasco with that."

The girl grinned at him. She must be used to the Isabel and Max asking for the sauce because she didn't even comment on it. "Coming up!" she said cheerfully. She must be new, Michael thought. No alien apron wearing Crashdown waitress was that bright and excited during the dinner rush, until she was a newbie. "Hey." The girl turned around to face him. Valerie, her name tag said. "Are you from around here? You're not exactly a regular," she said, blowing his first day hype theory, "but you look familiar somehow."

Michael looked at her expressionlessly. "You could say that." He ended it at that. Michael grabbed a worn pocketbook from his backpack and focused on it, hoping that the girl would just leave. When she did, he looked around the diner again. They could not have all just vanished. Isabel he did not expect to see here. She was a married college student. And even if it was vacation, she still had other places to be. He did expect to see the others though. Liz was the one he was most likely to come in contact with. She should be visiting her parents this break.

And just like that, the break room door swung open, and Liz Parker strode out in jeans and a yellow tee. She tied her hair in a pony tail and rushed to the doors that led to the Parkers' home. "Max, we need to go now!" she yelled.

Max was here? Well a lot of things have really changed. Liz called him and he was in the Parker apartment. He must be very accepted by Liz's parents by now. Good for him. Michael was glad that the two have worked everything out.

"Max, hurry up!"

Michael watched as Max came into the diner. Liz helped him shrug on his leather jacket. The waitress, Valerie, smiled at him, carrying Michael's order. "Hi, Max. Where are you guys going?"

Michael craned his neck to hear the reply. If Max and Liz were going out late, he needed to know where he could find them. "We're making a delivery," Max answered.

"Both of ya?" Max glanced at Liz, who nodded at the girl. "That must be an important delivery. Oh you do this every week. It's that regular then."

"That's it," Liz said.

A man eating at the counter turned and waved hello to Max, who nodded in recognition. "Hey, Craig," he greeted at the regular. "I'll talk to you if you're still on that plate when we get back. So you might want to get another order if you have something to say."

Craig chuckled. "Deliver, my ass! You two are really lucky you have an open invitation to the Davis place. I hear it's huge. I haven't even seen the house itself, just the grounds surrounding it. Burke from the hardware says he had it made especially for the missus. That true?"

"Yes, Craig. Brody had the Desert Palace made especially for her."

Michael's brows furrowed. He had thought that Brody Davis left the summer after he went crazed about the entire Larek deal. It seems that he came back. And was married. Well that was good for him. He could remember a time when the old man had it bad for Maria. That was the first time Michael was actually jealous.

"Well we'd better get going. We don't want to be late."

"Yeah. Hey Liz, you tell Mrs. Davis we miss her at karaoke night. Last time I heard her was at the Whitman boy's funeral and it's not a very engaging memory. Wish she'd come up to sing at the bar sometime."

Michael cursed under his breath. He stood up and called Liz. And suddenly everything seemed to be in slow motion. Liz Parker's brown hair seemed to fly as she turned to look at him. Her gaze widened in shock, and then fury. And then she charged him. The noise in the diner dropped at the sound of the slap she delivered to his cheek. "What the hell are you doing back here?!" she demanded.

Max took Liz's arm and pulled her away from his friend. Michael could see from the whiteness of his face that Max was just as surprised to see him. "Liz, don't. Michael hasn't done anything wrong."

"The hell he hasn't!" Liz snapped.

"Please—"

"Max, telephone! And you better hurry the man sounded anxious."

Max thanked the other waitress, another student from Roswell High. He took the call from the counter. Liz glared balefully at Michael, and then turned to Max in concern. Michael fixed his gaze at the condiments on the table.

"Brody!" Both Liz and Michael looked wide-eyed at Max. "Brody, calm down. We were on our way. Yeah, we're there. Yes. Did you give her that? What happened? S-hit. Okay. Okay. Just calm down. I'm leaving right now." Max hung up the phone.

2002

"I know that Brody. And I'm flattered. I really am. You are a great guy, and I could really be happy with you. But I can't just give this up. I want to give it another try. I know that you've been offering to come back here but I have to say it again. If you're coming back for me, don't. You have to live your own life, Brody. And I can't promise you anything."

Liz listened at Maria's side of the phone conversation and smiled at her friend. When Maria hung up the phone, she reached at the back and squeezed her hand. Max was on the wheel. They were finally coming back to Roswell. No more icy Vermont. There was nothing that could compare to the Roswell heatwave.

"It never gets easier, does it?" Maria said ruefully.

"No," Liz told her. "It never does. But I'm happy you finally decided to get back together with Michael. He'd be so happy."

"Liz, you gotta understand. I'm not doing this for Michael. I'm on my selfish 'me' streak, remember? I'm doing this for me. I can't force myself to stay away from him anymore."

Liz grinned at her best friend. "Great." Maria pales and tightened her grip on Liz's hand. "What is it?"

Maria closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her head was spinning, and the edges of her vision had gone black. Max parked at the side of the road and glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Maria, what's wrong?"

"My head is spinning, and I'm cold," she whispered. "It must be the change in temperature hitting me late."

"Are you sure?" Liz opened the glove compartment and fished for the road map book. "I can find a hospital in here."

"No need to do that," Maria assured her. "It's nothing." Her phone rang, and she reached for it. "Hello. Hey Michael!"

"Maria, where are you?"

"Almost there. I have something I need to tell you, Michael."

"Give me Max on the line."

Maria frowned and looked up at Max. "Umm okay. Max, he wants to talk to you."

Max took the phone from Maria. From his side of the conversation, both she and Liz gathered that Isabel had been near death for the past several hours. They were both worried until Max assured them that she was fine now. "You're leaving Roswell," Max stated more than asked. "And this decision was brought about by that? Maybe you should wait until we get there, Michael. I think you might want to hear what she has to say."

Maria grabbed the phone from Max. "Michael, don't. Wait for me. Please. I need you to do that at least."

"Look Maria, I'm done. Seeing everything that happened here, all the emotions that are charged in this place, I just feel like I'm an odd man out. I love you. And you know that. But I need to give myself some space. Give me that, because I gave it to you when you asked for it."

Maria's panicked eyes met Liz's. "Don't do this over the phone, Michael. Wait for me please."

"Maria," he interrupted. "Maria, it's my turn to walk away now."

Part 2

2004

"I'm coming with you." Michael grabbed his coat from the seat and shrugged it on.

"No."

"No?" he repeated dumbly.

"No," Liz said again. "You can't come."

"I'm going," Michael said again. Max shook his head. If the situation were less tense, he would chuckle at the pissing contest that involved Liz.

"He's not coming along," her hard voice told Max, and then she turned to walk away.

Just then, Isabel burst into the café. She first saw the couple she had been searching for. It was probably the first time that Michael had seen her this flustered. Her voice was high when she demanded, "What are you two still doing here? Brody called me asking me to come if you two can't make it."

"It's all right, Isabel. We're on our way. We were just delayed." Max turned back to Michael. "I'm sorry, Michael. I agree with Liz. Just stay here."

Isabel's wide eyes took in Michael's appearance. "Wh—Michael!" Max and Liz hurried out of the café. "You came back."

He shook his head, confused. "What is going on here, Izzy? Where is she? Why is Liz so mad at me?"

"You're asking me that." Isabel laughed softly, humorlessly. Michael collapsed on his seat, burying his head in his hands. "Why shouldn't Liz be angry?" Isabel whispered, settling on the seat across from him in the booth. "Michael, you killed Maria." She expected his head to snap up at that remark. Instead, his hands slowly fell away from his face and he met her eyes. Isabel reached out her hand and touched his cheek. "Close your eyes."

And he saw it, from Isabel's eyes.

"Heal her, Max. Please," a voice begged, and in an instant he knew that it was Liz.

There she was on the bed, pale and unconscious. It was an unfamiliar room, Michael could see. It was neither Liz's nor Maria's, but the room had a homey atmosphere to it. There were tubes coming out of her arms. Michael swallowed.

"I can't do it." Max reached out his hand again, and rested it on Maria's forehead. Michael saw his, Isabel's, hand do the same, and it didn't work either. "Isabel." Max was staring straight into his eyes. "We need Michael." Michael recognized the desperation in his eyes. "Only Michael can fix this."

"He doesn't want to come." The words tumbled out of his mouth in Isabel's voice. "I asked him, Max. I told him it's a matter of life and death. But he didn't seem to care!" And then he was kneeling beside her. With Isabel's hand he touched her cheek. "Maria!" Isabel had screamed. "Don't. Please. Stay with us. We're so sorry." And he looked up at Max, and he felt all the desperation in Isabel's body. "It's us, isn't it? This is because of who we are."

Max nodded. "But he could have fixed it. So you don't have to worry about your own life, Iz. It's not supposed to be this way."

Michael, in Isabel's body, felt the wrenching agony that she felt. Isabel had gripped Maria's hand tightly. "Please Maria. Don't. Not yet. I'm so sorry," Isabel whispered over and over. And then Maria's grip had slackened, and she slipped away.

"Oh god," he heard Liz's cry from another side of the room. "Let me go, Max! Let me go!" she screamed. "I'm going to f-ucking kill Michael Guerin!" He didn't have the chance to see how Liz looked at that moment, because Isabel's eyes, where he was reliving the moment from, was fixed on Maria's still face.

Isabel's hand fell away from Michael's cheek. He was breathing heavily, and she remained impassive. "Harsh, isn't it?"

Michael's hand was trembling. "That was a—"

"Flashes don't lie, Michael. You killed Maria."

"Then what is going on at Brody's place?" he demanded. Isabel shook her head. "You're hiding something from me. Isabel, I'm begging you."

"Oh I recognize that. It's just like how I begged you to come home more than a year ago, and you told me off."

"Then I'll find out for myself." He tossed a few bills on the table, just as Valerie approached them with his order.

"Michael." He turned to Isabel, expecting another round of the icy coldness and blame. Instead, she tossed him her car keys. "You need this."

"Tha—"

"Don't," she cut him off.

Michael nodded and sprinted towards Isabel's car.

2002

Maria left the break room with one last swipe at the tears on her cheeks. She was still feeling low. Michael's decision was a hard blow against her, but Liz and Isabel convinced her that the best way to recover was to return to work immediately. Remembering the busy hours at the Crashdown, Maria agreed. She had thought that the customers would keep her mind off of Michael. She could not have been more wrong.

Her eyes kept straying to the kitchen, where he used to sweat over the grill. More and more she looked over at the booth he often sat in with Max and Isabel. Maria knew that the break up was her fault. She had been confused and indecisive, and, admittedly, selfish. She just prayed that Michael would come back soon. She would have preferred that he never left, that he would do as she did at the time when it was he who was reluctant to pursue a relationship-hang around and wait.

Maria knew that people took to things differently. Michael decision stung though. But she didn't blame him. She had made some very bad choices the past couple of months.

"Mr. Davis, what are you doing here?"

Maria glanced over at Liz in surprise. Her best friend was standing close to a guy she had thought left Roswell for good, much like Michael really. "Brody?" she gasped.

Both Liz and Brody turned to her direction. Brody grinned upon seeing her. "Nice haircut."

Liz smiled. She was aware that Maria had been crying all through her break. "Oh good. You're back. He's asking for you. He's in my section but well, the customer is always right. He's all yours."

"Thanks." Maria strode over to Brody, the weird multimillionaire who had been such a good friend over the last year. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but I thought you'd left Roswell for good."

"I'd never leave all of Roswell behind, Maria. I thought you knew that by now," he answered.

Maria sighed. She knew about Brody's crush on her. For a while she had even entertained the thought of marrying him. It was around Christmas, and she saw that she would be the perfect wife for him, the perfect mother to his sickly daughter. Of course that was before Michael's really sweet gift. And of course, as Liz pointed out, he didn't actually ask. "So do you want the usual?" Maria asked, already scribbling down the note "with extra pepperjack" on her pad.

He met her eyes and appeared to be thinking deeply about her question. "I don't know. I think this time I'll ask for more than the usual."

"I don't know if we're ready for more than your usual, Brody," she informed him quietly. "The kitchen's reeling already. We didn't expect you back or that you were interested in more. It might take time."

"Oh." He nodded in understanding. "Maria, I'll wait."

Maria took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before moving to leave. "All right. Welcome back."

2004

Maria's eyes fluttered open and she took a deep breath. The faces hovering above her cleared as she slowly regained her focus. She moistened her lips. Just like always, she waited a few moments as the energy returned to her body with every beat of her heart.

"Thank you, Max," she whispered. After a few more minutes, she was sitting up in bed, with roses on her cheeks and bright, sparkling eyes. No trace of what she had just been through remained.

Max shook his head. Liz carefully dabbed alcohol on the prick on his arm and covered it with a band aid. "Don't mention it."

"You scared us," Liz said. "You scare us every week, but this was the closest call we've had for a while."

"Is Sydney okay? I kept asking Brody not to let her see me when this happens, but those two are stubborn."

Liz smiled at her best friend. "That family of yours is stubborn. But I'm happy. They're really taking care of you."

At that moment the door opened to reveal a worried duo. Sydney brightened when she saw Maria sitting up. The girl ran towards her and jumped up on the bed, hugging her. Brody sat beside her. "I was so worried." Her raised her arm and kissed the point that Liz had covered with a band aid. "Max..."

"No need, Brody. I would do this every day for Maria if I have to."

"Still."

"Why don't the two of you take a walk in the grounds?" Maria suggested. "And take Sydney with you. She's been cooped up inside since this morning."

"She didn't want to leave you in here by yourself."

Maria smiled at the girl. "I told you, Syd. You shouldn't disrupt playtime when I'm like that."

Brody took his daughter outside, knowing that Maria needed to talk to Liz alone.

"Liz, what's wrong?"

Liz continued placing the instruments aside. After she and Max left, the doctor that Brody had privately hired could take care of everything, but she needed to keep her hands busy. "Nothing."

"You're shifty!"

"You were fifty-fifty!" Liz retorted. "That entitles me to act odd, you know."

"Something's wrong, Liz. I can smell it," she warned. Maria threw aside the covers and walked over to her. Liz didn't stop her or ask her to lie back down. The very nature of Maria's condition made her as healthy as any normal young woman her age when supplied with what she needed. After the reserves in her body ran out, she would hover at the brink of death. But right now Maria was fully charged. She could do anything.

"You're imagining things. And by the way, Iz is frantic. You have to call her and let her know you're fine," she reminded Maria.

Maria nodded. Ever since that fateful day when she died with Isabel holding her, Isabel had been the sister she never had. Isabel had been so protective of her. She supposed that it really changed a person when life slipped away in your arms. "I will."

Suddenly the phone beside her bed rang. Liz knew that Maria need not bother. That would be Mrs. Ramirez. "Yeah this is Maria."

"Oh thank God!"

"Hey Iz. Your brother made it."

"Maria, Brody was so frantic. I was out of my mind. I wanted to come out there myself already, but Max said that he was on his way."

Maria tried her best to soothe Isabel. "It wasn't so bad. Brody just panicked. You know how paranoid he is."

Liz shook her head. She would be telling Isabel the real story of how dangerous the situation had gotten anyway. In fact, Isabel would demand the real story from her once they meet up at the Crashdown.

"Maria, he's here."

"Who?"

Liz looked up. Isabel can't tell her over the phone. "Maria, I need to tell you something. Please. Ask Iz to call back later."

Maria frowned at Liz. But then she shrugged. If she suddenly decided that whatever secret it was she was hiding from her had to be told now, who was she to argue.  
"Isabel," she said over the phone, "call me later. Liz finally decided to reveal something. I'll tell you how juicy it is." And then she hung up the phone.

"Max and I were thinking on the way here about how best to tell you this," she began. "But we couldn't think of any way other than the direct one. Maria, we want you to know-"

"Oh my God!" she murmured. "Oh my God!"

"Maria..." Liz was scared that she had guessed.

She covered her eyes with her hand and sniffed. "Liz, I hope this doesn't turn out like-"

"Maria, what are you talking about?"

"You're pregnant, aren't you? You and Max. God, Liz! What do you think will happen to you? I want you two to be happy, and I guess I'm happy for you. But I'm just worried that-"

"No!" Maria was crying hard now. She reached out and pulled her close. "No, Maria, it's not like that at all. I mean, how could you think that? After everything that happened...Maria, no! But now I don't know if my news would be better or worse than that."

Maria wiped at the tears in her eyes. "Well if it's not that, then I guess it's definitely better."

"I'm not so sure." Liz tightened her embrace around her best friend. "Michael's home," she stated simply. "And he wants to see you."

Part 3

2002

"How's your fish?"

Maria glanced up at her date. "It's fine," she assured him.

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "I thought it was bad. You looked like you weren't enjoying it. We could order some other dish, Maria. It's fine."

"What are you talking about?" she said lightly. "This salmon cost like an entire whale!"

"But if it's not good—"

"It's good, Brody. It's fabulous." She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you for taking me out tonight. And I was just feeling a bit down the weather. I've been so depressed lately, I forgot how it really is to have fun."

"Well it was my duty," he told her gallantly. "You've been there for me when I was lost all last year. In that darkness when I couldn't understand anything, my abductions, my lost times… I looked forward to lunch hour every time, because you let in the sun."

"Brody, you could have gone out of there. That old bomb shelter was too dark and closed, it would make anyone depressed."

Brody shook his head. "It wasn't so much the sun as it was that you were letting it in."

"That's so sweet." Maria took a deep breath. It was so easy to lose herself in the wonder that Brody offered, the world that he was giving her that had none of the hurt and the pain that her world was now filled with. Brody would love her so much that she might be able to close herself off to the almost physical hurt that Michael's loss has caused.

"Maria, have you considered my offer?"

"I thought you were asking for an extra plate of Saturn Rings or another Will Smith," she teased lightly, well aware that when he had said 'more' upon his return, the meaning was an entirely different thing, closer to home.

"You know what I'm talking about."

Maria looked away from his intense eyes and studied the people around them, dining, leading their own lives. She could not begin to guess how many of these people were breaking up, getting engaged, announcing the biggest news, or grieving. Their lives were moving around her, and they were taking steps back or forward. "I would like to, Brody, more than anything else in the world. You… you're more than I've ever dreamed of. You're charming and brilliant and generous, but more than that, you love me. I… I need someone to love me so much."

His eyes brightened, and he shot up from his seat and knelt before her. "I will. I promise to love you, Maria. And if how much I do right now isn't enough, although I very much doubt that—" he laughed, "—then I'll love you even more! I'll love you more with every minute of every day."

She smiled and leaned close, and she allowed him to brush his mouth against hers. His kiss comforted her. And he made her feel safe. Brody made her feel secure, like he would never leave her, and that was important. "Brody," she said through her tears, "you're too much."

"Then that's a yes?" he asked, face alight with his excitement.

But she shook her head. "It's too soon. The way I feel for Michael… It's too deep to just shut off and forget."

Brody nodded. He straightened and asked, "Shall we go?" He left a couple of bills on the table and helped her up. She closed her eyes at a sudden surge of vertigo. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think I stood up too fast. Will you be leaving now?" she asked, unsure.

"Because you said no?" He shook his head. "I promised I'm willing to wait, didn't I? Who do you think you're talking to here?"

She chuckled, remembering that time when she said the very same words to him, at the time when he was lost after his 'abduction,' and he was taken to the New York Summit. She was the only one he could talk to about it, the only person in the world who understood him and took him seriously.

His warm hand closed over her elbow as he led her towards the car. The room spun around her, and she held on tightly to Brody. She felt her blood turn to ice, and she winced at the stabbing coldness of the fluid pulsing through her body. "Brody," she gritted out, "I—I'm—take me to Max Evans."

His brows drew together in confusion. "Maybe I should take you to the hospital."

"No," she ground out. "No, Brody, only Max."

He could not understand what was happening, but he lifted her into his arms and placed her in the passenger side of his car. He fastened the seatbelt securely and then drove towards Max's house, the apartment that used to be Michael's. He would trust her without reservation now, the way she did him a year ago.

Maria was breathing heavily now, but he knew that she was awake by the way her jaw was clenched tightly. He slammed out of the car and ran towards the front door. "Max! Max Evans!" There was no answer. He was probably out for the night. He returned to the car and looked at Maria, who was now shivering in her seat. Brody turned on the heaters of his car although it was already scorching that night.

"He's not home, Maria. You need to be seen to."

"Nooo," she moaned. "I don't know what this is, Brody, but no hospitals. I can't risk it."

He ran his fingers through his wild hair and shrugged out of his jacket. He covered Maria with it. "Do you trust me?" She met his eyes and looked into them for the longest time, and then nodded. Brody nodded curtly and sped to the outer bounds of Roswell.

They stopped at an unfamiliar house in the desert. Once again, Brody slammed out of the car and rapped on the front door. It was opened by a disheveled looking man. "Davis?" the man asked in a thick accent, peering at him in the dark. "What in blazes are you doing out here at this time of the night?"

"I brought a friend. I need you to see to her, but no records or documents of any sort. Please help her."

"Absolutely hush-hush?" Brody nodded. "Where is she?"

The two of them walked over to the car.

2004

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Liz asked her friend, who stood in front of a lifesize mirror in a mermaid cut red dress.

Maria tucked a loose strand of curly blonde hair into the silver pin. "I can't hide, Liz. So Michael's back. That doesn't change anything."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like a million bucks," Maria answered without pause.

Liz laughed softly. "I guess you'd feel like that engaged to Brody Davis. I mean, half the townspeople of Roswell already refer to you as Mrs. Davis! Nobody would even think you'd have all this," Liz motioned to the rich furnishings and the obviously well chosen assortments in the room, "when they thought of you as the Deluca girl who delivered aliens in boxes after school."

"Brody's worth so much more than that, Liz. He's got all these trappings, but the most important thing is… is…" Maria smiled and shook her head. "I mean… he loves me!"

"Why do you always sound so surprised whenever you say that, Maria? You deserve it."

"Apparently, he's the only guy who's aware of that," Maria told Liz with a hint of sarcasm and bitterness. "How do I look?"

"Like the social butterfly that you are," Liz teased.

Maria had not really been going out since she moved in here with Brody, and that was almost immediately after Michael left. When they found out what was wrong with Maria, they needed somewhere secure and private to cure her, and Brody provided that. The doctor, an old friend of Brody's, was the only medical care professional who saw Maria, and he had been sworn to secrecy about the little knowledge that he had. The doctor didn't know much really. They only told him what he needed to know, that blood from Max Evans had to be injected into Maria's system every week, that the endless prescriptions he filled out were needed for the patient's survival, and that nothing could know why there was an abnormality in Maria's blood that he had never encountered all the years in medical school.

"I can't wait to see people!" Maria exclaimed.

Liz snorted in mock annoyance. "And me and Max are not people?" she demanded. "Isabel and Jesse aren't people? Kyle?"

Maria happily twirled in her new dress. "You know what I mean, Lizzie. And you, Jesse and Kyle may be people, but you know the others aren't exactly entirely of this world."

Liz was glad to hear how lighthearted Maria was being. "I know, I know. You're sick of our faces already. Don't worry. You'll get to see lots of people again. I didn't know anyone who can be so excited about a boring ribbon cutting!"

"But I'm getting out!"

Liz threw her arms around Maria. "I'm so happy for you." Her voice dropped. "And if you find yourself in any way uncomfortable that Michael's there, I want you to come to me or any of us. We'll get you out of there."

"Thanks, Liz. I'm so lucky to have you."

There was a swift rap on the door and it swung open to admit Brody, looking dapper in a black coat and blue silk undershirt. "Are we all ready to go?"

2002

"Brody!"

Max Evans ran down the street towards the man hunched over the front porch of Michael's apartment, now his. Liz ran after him. They were at the movies, but for some reason Max felt a wave of paralyzing fear. The two of them rushed out of the cinema and he drove her in her car towards his apartment. When they reached the end of the street, the engine died. For the first time, Liz heard him curse. He slammed out of the car, and she hurried after him as he started running down towards the house.

"Max, I need you to come with me."

"What is it? Brody, I thought you were with Maria," Liz gasped out, catching her breath. "Where's Maria, Brody?"

"I need you to come with me." He led them towards his car.

Because Brody drove at breakneck speed, the three sped away and arrived at the clinic in less than fifteen minutes. "Hurry," Brody told them. He knocked thrice on the front door, and it opened a crack. "It's me." The door closed and they heard the chain being released.

The doctor was about the same age as Brody. He looked at the two new arrivals suspiciously, and he remained quiet until Brody signaled for him to speak. "Her condition boggles me," he began. "I ran a test on the sample I took from her before you left, Brody, and there's an abnormality in her blood that I can't understand."

Liz's eyes flew to Max's. "What can of abnormality are we talking about here?" Max inquired carefully.

The doctor left to take some charts. "I said no documents," Brody admonished.

"It's all right. I'm not putting these on official records. I need to chart out the changes for analysis."

Brody nodded curtly. "Liz, would you like to see Maria?" he asked. "I'm sure Max can handle this."

With a long look at her boyfriend, Liz followed Brody out of the room. He led her to the doctor's bedroom, where they had placed Maria. He opened the door and let Liz in, and then he closed the door after her. Liz was glad of the privacy that Brody thoughtfully gave them.

"Hi," came the whisper from the bed.

Liz moved forward and saw that Maria was sitting at the edge, hands clasped in front of her. "Maria, what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I didn't know, Liz. I've been feeling funny for a while. I think it was that last time, the one I told him was a mistake. But it wasn't a mistake, Liz. It can't ever be a mistake between us."

Liz couldn't understand a work that Maria was babbling, because she allowed them to run together the way she always did when she was nervous or worried or excited. "Maria, are you sick?" Maria took Liz's hand in hers and led it to her stomach. And then she watched as with awe, Liz's mouth fell open. "It's so warm," she whispered. She lifted Maria's blouse away from where their hands joined. Slowly, she looked at the spot, and a faint glow was pressed against Maria's skin. "Brody knows?"

Maria shook her head. "The doctor took some of my blood. That's all. I just saw this a little while ago. You're my best friend, Liz. And even if I don't know what I'm going to do, I'm happy you're the first to know."

She smiled. Liz drew her best friend tight into her arms. "We're gonna make it, Maria."

The two looked up when the door opened again. Max stepped into the room holding a sheet of paper. His face was so grave that Liz immediately squeezed Maria's hand in support. He sat heavily in the chair across from them.

He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, and handed the paper to Liz. "There's a presence of unknown cells in your blood, Maria. It's not damaging any of the normal cells. But those abnormal cells are varying in number," Max explained. "But after a while, something… produces them again, and they return to the level they originally were. The process is unending," he told her, "if I extrapolate from this little data he provided."

"Is Maria in danger?"

"No," Max replied. "Not really. They aren't destroying anything. They're just there. It's like they took up permanent residence in your system. Maybe you're feeling bad because of the change. What I don't understand is why. How can you have these cells, Maria? From exposure to us?" His forehead creased as he tried to figure it out. "We're not radioactive."

"I have alien blood inside me," she told him.

"What?"

She showed him the glowing part of her belly. "I have a little alien baby inside of me, Max," she said softly, "thus the alien blood."

"Oh my God," Max whispered. He stumbled towards her and reached out, longing in his eyes. Liz knew that he was remembering the last time he had seen his son was when he touched Tess there. He caught himself before he touched her. "May I?" He asked for permission with such yearning that Maria could only nod in response. Max pressed his palm against it and closed his eyes.

"Is it okay, Max?" Liz asked hesitantly, unwilling to break the moment but also unwilling to allow Max to dwell on what he had lost.

"She needs her father," he told them hoarsely.

"I'm having a girl," Maria said in a faint voice.

"Maria, the baby needs Michael to provide her with the energy that you can't. She needs more than what your body can provide her."

"Michael's gone, Max. He doesn't want to be with me."

"Maria," Liz said, "when he finds out that you're going—"

"He's going to come back because of a baby?" Maria laughed softly, bitterly. "You'd think I'd hate the prospect of that, but you know, I'm fine with it. I'm that pathetic now. I'd use a baby to trap him, to force him to stay with me." She looked up at Max. "Do you know how to contact him?"

"He left his contact information with Iz."

"Can you give the baby the energy that she needs?"

Max nodded. "For the meantime, I guess I can provide some. But the baby needs Michael, Maria. Not me. We all have different energies. It's like aura… like DNA… like barcodes. It has to be him. He's the only one who can stabilize you."

"Have Isabel call Michael. I miss him."

Max pressed his hand on Maria's stomach and closed his eyes, transferring some energy to the baby. "I'll call him myself," he told her.

Part 4

2004

Michael watched from the back of the crowd as Brody Davis, the elusive multimillionaire who lived at the outskirts of Roswell, cut the ribbon of the multimedia wing he donated to the Roswell Public Library. Beside him stood the stunning woman that the two elderly women referred to as Mrs. Davis, but he knew from Kyle Valenti that Maria was not married to Brody, that she moved in with him a few weeks after he returned to Roswell.

Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes were dancing. Michael could not get over how excited and happy she was to be standing there, on what should have been a boring affair. Brody must really make her happy. The question was what exactly was going on in the Davis house, the Desert Palace, Michael remembered it called.

Last night, he went there after Liz and Max in Isabel's car. He never realized what exactly the man in the Crashdown, Craig, was talking about. People had seemed so in awe of Brody having had the Desert Palace built especially for Maria. When he arrived at the gates of the place, he was stunned. The lot defined sprawling in an entirely new way. The expanse of the land, which was in the desert, was so lush and green that Michael could only imagine the expense that Brody had only for watering it. From outside the gates he could glimpse the large house inside, impressive and straight out of a little girl's fairy tale.

He carefully noted every detail of the place, and the high metal fences were the first detail that caught his attention. Had they not been so intricately designed, he would think that it was a jail to keep Maria in. But seeing Liz's car parked right outside the gates, and the blinking digital security lock, he knew it for what it was. The heavy forbidding appearance was not to keep Maria locked in, but to keep the world locked out. There was so much more to what he had been told, and he swore to find out what it was.

A smattering of applause jarred him from his trance. Brody's speech was finished. The officials of the town thanked Brody for his generous contribution to Roswell. While he was busy talking to them, Michael went up to Maria. "You look beautiful."

Although she had been forewarned, Maria found herself still taken aback by his presence. "Thank you. I see you're home." Suddenly, she felt an undeniable and forceful pull between them. Her blood was singing at being so close to him. Her sight darkened at the edges for a moment, as her blood surged to her head. Her heart pounded heavily in her ears, and she shook her head to calm her wildly reacting body.

"Maria?" Michael said, concerned.

She pulled away when he touched her. "Don't!" She was physically starved, and she knew it at once for what it was. For her to stabilize, she needed the completion that was forestalled by the accident. The only way her body could be righted was if she completed what was aborted. And for that she needed Michael.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Michael, you chose to stay away." She glanced back at Brody, and saw him extricating himself from his companions. "We're going to the party now. Liz, Max, Kyle, Isabel and Jesse are all coming. I hope to see you there."

He watched as she and Brody vanished into the crowd of people. Isabel approached him, with Jesse in tow. "Michael, what happened?"

"I had to see her again. But she pulled away from me."

Jesse, who had slowly been part of the group since Isabel's shooting, laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You have to understand her anger, Michael. Everything that happened was difficult for her. She's been living in hell."

"She's been living in a virtual palace," Isabel corrected him, half jokingly.

"It's not that, Jesse. She wasn't angry. When I touched her, I saw many things—hurt, desire, actual need. But not anger. It's like she wanted to be close to me, and that she needed to be part of me, or for me to be part of her. I can't understand it, but for that short moment it was so intense."

Isabel pursed her lips. "Why did you come back, Michael? You stayed away for two years. You don't think you can just pick up where you left off, do you?" Michael stared into the direction where she had vanished with Brody. "You did, didn't you?" Isabel gasped. "You were expecting to come back her and resume your relationship like nothing happened!"

2002

She was beautiful. Her long golden hair flowed down her back, and caressed her hips with every swinging motion of her walk. The girl turned to him to give him a come-hither grin. Her blue eyes were made up, shadowed to make them sultry. Michael could easily unfocus his eyes and imagine them green.

He approached her and introduced himself, and after half an hour of small talk, she readily agreed to come to his motel room.

"Kiss me," she whispered as soon as the door closed behind them.

Michael pulled her forward and ground his mouth against hers. Her hands rose to bury themselves in his hair. "Harder," he gasped. Her nails dug deep into his scalp, and he pushed his head on hers. The closer they were, the more bruising the kiss, the less chance he would have to think about how much she differed from Maria.

"Michael," she groaned, freeing the buttons of his shirt. He released her to take a breath and to shrug off the clothing. He tried to look away, because he did not need to be reminded. "Look at me," she commanded him.

The strength behind her voice surprised him enough to glance up, and then he couldn't look away. The features that he tried to morph into Maria's were now actually those. "Maria…"

She smiled and opened her arms. "I missed you so much, Michael. I wish you didn't leave me."

"I'll come home," he promised. He was so lost in her deep, fluid green eyes that he could not make sense of the situation. At the back of his head the questions rose, such as why she was in Manhattan, how she got there so fast or why she looked different one moment and another the next. "I'll come home to you soon, Maria."

She moved to take off her blouse but he stopped her. He placed his hands at the hem and drew it over her head. And then he captured her lips for a kiss, plunging his tongue into the warm recessed of her mouth. She tasted different too, but he only had to look at her to know that there's nothing to worry about.

"Make love to me please. I need you inside me."

He drew her down to the couch and released the hook of her skirt. He was about to unzip at the back but she shook her head. Instead, she hiked up the skirt to her waist and freed him from his jeans. "Now," she demanded. Seeing the frantic desire in her eyes, he fell over her and pushed her legs open. Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he pushed into her.

She drove him into her faster and faster, and when he came she tightened the grip of her legs on him, draining him. She sighed afterwards. "Thank you." She pushed him off her and placed her hands over her stomach. "I think we have the new king here."

Michael swallowed heavily. Without the haze of passion, he could see some things more clearly. That was not Maria's voice, or Maria's gaze. But it was Maria. "You know very well that Max is the king."

She shook her head. "How many times do you have to be told, Michael? You are the rightful king, the people's choice. But you just had to stay loyal to the point of stupidity."

His eyes widened at the meaning behind the words. "You're not—"

"Warriors like you were never expected to be intelligent. Don't worry," she mocked him as she started pulling on her panties. She picked up the bra from the floor.

"Skins can't shapeshift," he bit out.

"And you supposed that only the Renegade Skins were the only... what did she call them… Michael worshippers?" Michael's heart clenched at the reminder of Maria. He had been gone a month and he had cheated on her, albeit unknowingly. "Zan always gave you lost self-esteem, no matter how arrogant you appeared."

"Who are you?"

"You figured it out. Shapeshifter. And I've been tasked to procure your progeny to install into the throne. We can't get you to betray Zan, and the people want you. We'll make a compromise and seat your son in power."

Michael could not believe it. He was being used as a stud to give Antar a king? He looked at the girl, still naked aside from the panties. She was sure she was pregnant now. And she was Maria… No! She looked like Maria. "If I don't betray the king, what makes you think I'll allow my son to?"

She smirked at him, with Maria's lips twisted, and Maria's eyebrows raised. "You really don't have a choice in the matter, sir. We gave up on you yourself a year ago." She threw a bolt of energy at him, which Michael was easily able to deflect.

And then she attacked him by jumping on him. Michael fell on the floor on his back, with her straddling him. She reached out with a glowing hand to cover his face. Michael felt everything being sucked out of him. His eyes bulged out of their sockets, and he maneuvered his hand between them. He was losing it hast. With all his power he raised his hand. Michael rested her palm over her belly and forced all the energy to come bursting out.

He was released from the paralyzing grip. He rolled onto his side and breathed heavily. After a few minutes he got up on his knees and looked over to where she had fallen. The wall was smeared with blood where she had hit her head. Michael crawled over to where she lay.

He first saw the gaping hole he had made on her stomach. His eyes traveled upwards to her face. She stared at him, open-mouthed and dead. Blood trickled at the side of Maria's mouth. The eyes that sightlessly met his were green and familiar. He always looked into them the entire times they made love.

Michael stumbled into the bathroom and collapsed in front of the toiled bowl. He emptied his stomach into the bowl, and rested his arms over the rim, tempted to never stop puking his guts out.

He didn't want to go back to the room. He would see her naked body on his floor. Michael would never see the look on that face, dead because of him.

He would never forget the sight of Maria Deluca dead because of him.

A few hours later, Max Evans called him for the first time since he'd been away. And he asked him to come home to Maria. Michael slammed the receiver on the hook and pulled the cords out of the wall.

And he stumbled back to the bathroom and heaved dryly into the bowl.

Part 5

2004

"Thank you all for coming tonight." Brody was standing in front of the restaurant, mic in hand. "I know you all have better things to do, considering the nightlife in Roswell." His audience chuckled. "Tonight is a special night for me and for Maria."

Michael, slouched against the wall at the back of the restaurant, straightened to listen closely. "What's this about?" It was Max standing beside him now. Both Liz and Isabel were furious at him. In truth Michael didn't know why Max was hanging out with him. He was as angry with him as Liz and Isabel were. Michael could feel it. If what he had seen from Isabel was right, then Max was just as affected by whatever it was that happened as the girls were.

"I have no idea." You had to give it to the guy. He was loyal, and he balanced it. He remained a loyal friend to Maria by standing by her and her choices. And he didn't leave Michael lost in an environment that has suddenly turned hostile. "Maria didn't say anything when we saw each other last."

"What were you and Liz doing there at that hour, Max? Why were you two in a hurry to—"

"After long months of pleading and kneeling," Brody announced lightly, "Maria has finally agreed to be my wife." Max's gaze flew to Michael's face, which was impassive. His jaw flexed and throbbed at its heavy set. "Sweetheart, why don't you come here and tell everyone I'm not lying?"

The people were clapping while Maria made her way to the front with Brody. "Don't worry. I've not gone mad yet. He's very correct. Brody's finally twisted my arm well and good. We're getting married in two months, and you're all invited." Maria's smile was bright and cheerful. "I don't think anyone's really surprised. You've all thought of me as Brody's wife for so long. And my mom is going to give us a break now, and she's gonna start talking to Brody again! Sheriff," she said towards a table on the left, where the former sheriff of Roswell, her mother and Kyle were seated, "I hope you approve. We're going to be legal now."

Maria walked over to them with Brody at her side. Amy stood up and embraced her daughter. And then she swatted Brody who was at the time shaking Jim's hand. After a while, Amy grinned and pulled Brody into a hug. Liz whooped at the sight.

"It would feel weird calling you son," Jim told Brody.

"Call me Brody then. I can just be your son when it comes to speeding tickets."

"Kyle," Maria said, smiling up at her friend and stepbrother. "Congratulate me?"

"Whatever makes you happy, Maria," he said seriously. Maria bit her bottom lip and sighed. "Come here." He pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear. She and Kyle had shared so many things, even before Michael left. He was her wall, the shoulder to lean on. "Love you. And whether or not you're making a mistake, that won't change."

"Thanks, Kyle. I surprised you all, didn't I?" Maria kissed his cheek. "Brody wants Max to be best man because of all he's done the past two years."

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "I'm not offended."

"And Liz is going to be maid of honor."

"Now I'm offended!"

Maria laughed. "You're going to be one of the groomsmen though."

"Big wedding?"

"This is Brody Davis we're talking about! The man who bought the UFO Center and all that heavy equipment because he believes he's getting abducted by evil aliens? The man who bought a sprawling lot and built a huge house to hide the fact that I'm getting shots of alien blood from Max Evans? Of course it's gonna be huge."

Kyle released his stepsister and stepped away. "I'll let the others congratulate you two. I have a feeling I'll be needed somewhere else tonight."

"Oh Kyle. You heard about him?" He nodded. "This isn't about him. I've decided to marry Brody even before he came back."

"I'm not judging you. I'm going to be the last to do that."

"Okay Kyle."

Maria turned around and found herself in the embrace of Liz and Isabel. She looked over their shoulders to see Jim grinning at her. She knew Brody invited them to the Desert Palace for dinner, and then they could have family conversation. In the meantime, she had to deal with their close friends.

"The only thing that's come as a surprise is how long it took you to finally get to this point!" Liz exclaimed.

Maria grinned at Liz and Isabel. Isabel's eyes shimmered with her tears. Maria's grin softened into a smile. Since the day she died in Isabel's arms, the connection between them was strengthened. Maria sympathized with Isabel. She thought she would go insane if any had died while she held him. When Liz buried the needle into Maria's skin in a last ditch effort, it was Isabel who gripped her numb fingers. She reached out a hand and Isabel closed hers over it.

"Thank you, Isabel."

2002

"He's not coming," Max stated simply. He fell onto the seat beside the bed and buried his hands in his hair. "There's no other way."

Maria tightly shut her eyes and stifled a moan. "Max," she whispered. "It's okay. This will pass."

"Maybe if you transferred some energy to the baby," Liz suggested.

"Did Brody take Sydney to… Oh God," she moaned in pain. "It's never been like this before," she gasped. "I'd just be weak and then when Max is done with the transfer everything's okay again. Now it's physically grueling."

"Where?" Maria took Liz's hands and led them to a point in her belly. Liz noticed how cold Maria was. "How does it feel?"

"Ripping. Shredding. I feel that I'm being torn apart inside."

Liz glanced up at Max. Medically it was all so simple. Her body was trying to get rid of the baby. The walls of her wombs were clenching and unclenching rapidly, trying to expel the blood inside her causing damage to her body.

The door swung open to reveal a white-faced Isabel Ramirez. "Are they…" Maria didn't finish her question. She hissed in pain.

Isabel nodded. "It's okay, Maria. Jim and Amy are playing with Sydney, and Kyle is talking to Brody."

"Okay." Her family was fine. Sydney didn't have to see this. She just hoped the baby was okay. Sydney had been so excited about the prospect of a baby brother or sister. She would often sing to the baby with Maria at night.

"It's getting worse," Isabel said, not needing to ask. The past few days had seen the rapid decline of Maria's health. Somehow, the energy transfer wasn't helping anymore. She was afraid that they would need to take drastic measures soon.

Ever since Michael had hung up on Max, all of them decided to go through this without Michael. They needed to find a solution that didn't involve him. Without their knowledge, Isabel tried to call Michael again. Maria was in danger and she knew it.

"Michael, it's a matter of life and death. We need you here. It's Maria."

"I can't, Isabel," he replied hoarsely. "Take care of her. But I can't go back."

"She needs you. You're the only one who can help her. We all tried, but this time—"

"No! I can't go there. Can't you understand? I can't even go near her!"

"Plea—" The line was cut.

When Isabel shook herself out of her reverie, her eyes widened in fear. Maria was on the bed, screaming. Max held her hands; or rather she gripped Max's. Liz and Brody's doctor worked between her legs.

She fell back on the bed, blinking up at the ceiling. Max had moved to where Liz was, and the three busily worked there. Isabel stood and stiffly walked to Maria. She stood over the bed first. There was no way she could help with Max. Instead, she sat and smiled down bravely at her friend.

"Everything's going to be fine, Maria," she said softly. "Sydney is having a great time at your mom's. Did you know that Kyle's seeing someone who looks almost exactly like Liz? It's so funny when I tease him about it."

Isabel shut out the hushed whispers from the back. Max was telling Liz how it was almost over. Isabel knew through reading that miscarriage was painful. And here Maria's body was still in the throes of it. Maria was showing no outward reaction to what was happening to her. She was lying there, staring at the ceiling like there was nothing going on.

"You really should come with me tomorrow when I go shopping. We can look at the sale of retro clothing at the mall. Maybe an orange blouse to go with the white pants we got in Albuquerque. You can wear it to the club next week. I got you a gig there."

Isabel bit her lip at the way Maria continued blinking sightlessly. It was as though she did not even hear her. "Maria, Jesse says hi. He was wondering if you could look at these sketches his cousin made. Katrina's going to have a party and those are her suggestions for her gown. Jesse thinks they're way out of this world. So we said if you thought they were great he'd pay for them."

Maria's eyes fluttered close. Isabel's vision swam in tears. A machine beside the bed beeped steadily, and the doctor stood up to check on the lines. He glanced up at Isabel, forehead creased.

Isabel felt as though she was seeing what was going on from afar. Maria's heart was slowing down. Her breathing was getting shallower.

"Heal her, Max. Please," Liz begged.

"I can't do it." Max reached out his bloody hand again, and rested it on Maria's forehead, leaving a red handprint on the pale skin. Isabel did the same. "Isabel, we need Michael. Only Michael can fix this."

She knew that. They've known for a while that Maria's blood had been changed by the baby, and she needed Michael to balance it. The exact way that he would do it was unclear to them, but somehow they knew that in their planet, the mother and father needed to be present to have a successful pregnancy. They contributed biologically to the completion of the process.

"He doesn't want to come." The words tumbled out of her mouth. "I asked him, Max. I told him it's a matter of life and death. But he didn't seem to care!" She was kneeling beside her. "Maria!" Isabel had screamed. "Don't. Please. Stay with us. We're so sorry." She looked up at Max, shaking with desperation. "It's us, isn't it? This is because of who we are."

Max nodded. "But he could have fixed it. So you don't have to worry about your own life, Iz. It's not supposed to be this way."

Isabel gripped Maria's hand tightly. "Please Maria. Don't. Not yet. I'm so sorry," Isabel whispered over and over. And then Maria's grip slackened, and she slipped away.

"Oh God," Liz cried from where she was standing. "Let me go, Max! Let me go!" she screamed. "I'm going to f-ucking kill Michael Guerin!"

They all sat there stunned, until suddenly Liz started pacing. "Michael's blood introduced those cells… and she needed them."

"Michael or the baby," Max answered distractedly. He could not help himself. His eyes kept wandering to the still face of Maria Deluca on the bed. He never thought he would see the day when Maria would be so quiet and unresponsive. She was the single most energetic and vivacious person he knew.

"Alien blood," she snapped. "Alien blood poisoned her system." Isabel flinched at the accusation she heard in her voice. "It probably would have been okay if she completed the nine or how many the hell months the baby needed to develop. If the baby was born the foreign cells would have been released and she'd be back to normal."

Isabel was still sitting next to Maria, still holding her hand. "What's the point of this conversation," she asked tiredly. She never knew she had enough strength inside her to hold a dead person for so long.

Liz took a syringe from the doctor's bag and walked over to her boyfriend. "Give me alien blood," she demanded. Liz handed the syringe to Max, who took it with a question in his eyes. "I need it, Max."

His eyes never leaving Liz, Max handed the syringe back to her and presented his bare arm to her. "Take it."

Liz's hands were surprisingly steady as she filled the syringe with blood. Without thanking him, she walked over to Maria.

"Liz," Isabel whispered, unsure about what her friend was doing. "Don't you think we should leave her alone now? I mean, just out of respect, Liz. Don't... don't do this to Maria."

The dark haired girl shook her head and proceeded with her plan. Her movements were quick and effective. "I have to try." Max recognized in her face the same obsessive determination that she exhibited when she was on the search for Alex's killer. "In Vermont I was dead, Isabel. It was only Maria who kept me anchored. She took care of me when I yelled at her to leave me alone. Now I'm going to be as bullheaded as her."

"It just feels so wrong."

"Isabel," Max soothed his sister, "there's nothing left to lose."

Liz seemed to understand her friend's hesitation. She struggled to explain her plan as best she could. "We know what caused this. The... the pregnancy... her blood was changed, manipulated because of Michael's... Isabel, as best I know, Maria should have undergone the entire..." Liz stammered as she spoke. There was no way, no real way to explain it to Isabel.

Isabel closed her eyes as Liz got closer to Maria. Isabel raised Maria's hand to her lips and whispered against it, "It's okay, Maria. It's okay. It's going to be okay."

The blood entered Maria's system while Isabel held tightly to her hand. Liz wiped the wound with a cotton ball and watched for any changes. Seeing none, she sat down on the floor and covered her face with her hands. She had just insulted the dead body of Maria, instead of leaving her in peace. And nothing even happened.

Liz started shaking. Max kneeled close to her. He wrapped his arms around her and she finally released herself. Liz sobbed into his shoulder.

"Maria!" Both looked up to see Isabel and Maria embracing on the bed. Liz scampered to her feet. "Lizzie, it worked!" Isabel called to her.

Part 6

2004

Maria waved at Brody from her seat in the empty table. Most of their acquaintances have approached Brody to congratulate him. Several people have stopped by and said hello to her, but they soon moved on to greet Brody. During the past two years, Maria had changed from the talkative and sociable Maria de Luca to the reclusive woman whom people her age barely recognized. And she liked it that way. Max preferred her like this because it meant less people will be likely to notice differences in her.

If they learned anything during the past years, it's that you should never draw attention to yourself.

That was exactly the performance she was trying to pull here. The plastered smile on her face never wavered, no matter how fast the darkness at the edges of her vision was clouding. She reached for the glass to wet her throat, but her hold faltered and she dropped it.

"Ugh."

"I got it." She looked up to see Michael's expressionless face. He picked up the glass and allowed a napkin to absorb the spilled liquid. "What's wrong, Maria?"

"Everything's wonderful, Michael."

"So I see." He nodded his head at Brody's direction. "Congratulations. He's a great guy."

"How would you know? You weren't really around to figure that out. You barely knew him for a year."

"I regret that," he said simply. Maria tried to read him. Like always he was a vibrator. But Maria couldn't read those vibes he was sending, but they were so strong they pulsed inside her veins.

She closed her eyes and breathed harshly. His proximity was teasing her, and the scent of his blood was pounding in her temples. "Michael, will you get Max for me? I'm sure he's still around here somewhere."

His hand closed over hers. Surprised because he had not really displayed any outward emotion over the night, Maria met his eyes. Whatever it was that happened to Michael while he was away has fortified those walls she had fought so hard to break. At this instance, Michael had willingly allowed his feelings to peek through. "I know something's wrong," he said firmly. "But none of you will tell me what it is."

"Maybe because you don't need to know," she replied drawing her hand away.

"Can I help?"

Maria rose to her feet. "If you won't get Max I will." She pushed her chair back, but before she could begin looking her knees melted from under her. She caught onto the table, and Michael stepped forward and grabbed her arm.

Brody pushed his way through the crowd. "Maria." His gaze went from her to Michael. "Do you need to go home?"

She forced herself to look fine. There were too many people around. "Yeah. Why don't you stay here? I'll have Max and Liz drop me off."

"I'm going with you," he said.

"No, Brody," she said softly. "It's our engagement party." Michael flinched visibly. "We don't want them to get suspicious. They won't ask too much if I leave. They know I haven't had much of a social life so I'll be tired already. But if we both leave, it would be both impolite and fishy. I'll be okay, Brody."

Reluctantly, Brody agreed. He helped her get into the backseat of Max's car. Liz was on the passenger seat, and kept glaring at Michael from the rearview mirror.

2002

The heat of the lone light bulb above his head was enough to push him over the cliff. He was seriously in the worst condition he had ever been in his life. Only a few hours ago the police stormed into his apartment and forcibly made him lie facedown on the wooden floor. With the naked body still in the living room, Michael was cuffed and taken into custody for murder.

The photograph was dropped onto the table in front of him. They didn't need to do that. The picture of her staring sightlessly up the ceiling, green eyes unwavering, was emblazoned in his brain already.

The interrogation room walls were filled with pictures of the dead body taken from different angles. There were pictures of her belly where the scorch marks were evident. There were pictures of small feet. Photos of curled fingers.

But what really fascinated him in the sickest way imaginable were the dozens of pictures taken of her parted lips, her bruised cheek, those eyes.

"You killed her."

"Yes."

"Who was she?"

"I don't know."

"Why did you kill her? We need a motive here."

Shrug.

To h-ell with secrets and identities.

He just wanted to fry, or at the very least be imprisoned forever.

But fate hated him. He was sure that destiny was laughing her tight ass off. Weeks later he was released when the body mysteriously disappeared from custody. No body, no case. According to one of the guards, in place of the body was a pile of desert sand. They didn't have enough sense to turn to ashes. They had to turn to sand to make it almost comical, didn't they?

Because he had signed a confession to a nonexistent murder case, he was sent to get psychiatric help. Michael spent his days, weeks, months staring at the blank wall, watching the vision unfold before his eyes. She was smiling at him. And her green green eyes held his. They widened and he felt rather than saw the pain throb in them. The eyes held as they clouded over and she fell. Full lips parted to release that last breath. It was like a DVD on a malfunctioning player. Over and over and over accompanied by foreign warped noises.

Has it been more than a year later? He had been sentenced to stay here at least a year and three months or until he was rational.

"Am I safe now?" his voice cracked from lack of use.

"No one wants to hurt you, Michael," the doctor assured him.

"No. No. Am I safe? Am I dangerous? Will the nightmares stop?"

"That's what you have to find out." They placed a bag and the pile of his old clothes beside him. "Good luck, Michael."

~~

Part 7

2004

"Max, why don't you park the car over there? I'm gonna switch with Michael," Liz said, pointing to the side of the road.

"I'm fine here."

"I don't care about you, Michael. But it would be better for Maria if we trade places."

Max looked at Maria at the rearview mirror and noticed that although she was a little bit pale, she did not at all look uncomfortable. "We'd get to Desert Palace faster if we didn't have to argue and stop," he reasoned.

"It's okay, Liz, really." Maria smiled at both Max and Liz. "I just want to go home."

Max nodded. He turned to Liz. "Why don't you get the green bottle from the glove compartment and hand Maria two capsules?" Silently, Liz did as she was told. From her bag she drew bottled water and passed it to Maria too. "Maria, are you cold?" The girl at the backseat nodded. "That should help. There's no trembling yet is there?"

"Nothing, Max. I'm basically just tired."

Michael turned quietly to Maria and pulled her close. When she didn't complain or refuse, he settled back. There must be a way to find out what exactly was happening. They didn't answer his direct questions. He would have to look for the answers himself. "Still cold?"

"I'm better."

The rest of the ride passed with no one saying much of anything. Maria commented on some of the landmarks that have sprung up since Michael was last there. She was trying to turn the focus away from her. "Was that billboard there before you left?" She turned her attention to Liz. "Liz, how long ago was that built? That billboard of Levi's?"

When they arrived at the Desert Palace, Max rolled down the window and punched a series of numbers on the electronic security system. Michael watched like a hawk, and registered the pin numbers that Max quickly entered.

While Max and Liz parked the car, Michael helped Maria to the front door and quickly punched in the numbers that he had seen Max use on the gate. "How did you know there's only one code for both?" Maria questioned him when they stepped into the house.

"I don't." And then before she could blink, Michael had pulled the two of them in and swung the heavy door shut.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Instead of answering, he placed his hand over the electronic security system. A little while later, she saw smoke waft from the thirty thousand dollar alarm system. Heavy pounding on the door alerted them that Max saw what Michael had done. "This house is alien-proof, isn't it?" Maria stared blankly at him. "Max helped Brody design the security features that would keep any of us out when it's locked. He can't use his powers to open it when it's effectively sealed from the inside."

"What are you doing?" she repeated in a whisper.

He looked down at her with his intense brown eyes. "I've been trying to get you people to talk to me but none of you are taking me seriously. I'm getting my answers whatever way I can. And neither of us is going out until I'm satisfied, Maria."

"Michael, you have to let them in. There's nothing you have to know. Max will be really pissed," she warned.

The phone at the living room table rang, and Maria rushed to answer it. "Hey! I'm fine. Yeah. Yeah. Oh. Okay. Hold on." She arched her brow at Michael and handed him the phone. "I told you."

With a smirk, he took the receiver from her and plopped down on the couch. "Yeah. Well this is the only way, Max. I need this. What are you talking about? No. No! We're both staying here until I say." He placed the receiver on the cradle and for the first time since they arrived, he gazed at her with concern. "You'll have to take your meds, he said."

"I know."

He ground his teeth in frustration. "Why?" She didn't answer. "You know you're only lengthening the time we have to be stuck here."

"They're just vitamins, Michael. For the blood. Just to make up for some deficiency."

"Like iron?"

She smiled. "Like that."

He stood up and walked close to her. He could see the way her nostrils flared when they got closer. Her eyes held a hunger that he knew she would deny. He leaned close to her, close enough that he could feel her sharp exhalations against his skin. "Where's the kitchen?"

"Wh—What?"

"The kitchen, Maria. Where is it? I'll get us some food. There's no use starving ourselves if you're gonna be stubborn."

"You're really holding me hostage?"

"Yeah."

She bit her lip at the prospect of spending so much time in close proximity with Michael, whose very reappearance in her life was stirring feelings in her she had long thought dead. She had been ready to spend her lifetime in the comfortable kind of love that Brody provided, to forget the passion and desire of Michael and think about them only as long forgotten dreams. But now he was back, still as unadvisable for her as he had been before, but by that same virtue still so attractive. She licked her lips and clenched her fist. Her fingers were itching to bury themselves in his hair. "This way," she said.

To say that they needed to talk was an understatement. He knew that he needed to clear the air to take off the tension hanging between them. No matter how much he needed to touch her, he needed to let her speak her part and answer back with a part of his own. There was a process that needed to be done before he could hold her in his arms again.

She was walking ahead of him, her stride didn't invite nonsense. He knew that she was aware of how much they needed to sit down in front of each other and rehash all the excruciating details of the past two years.

But then Michael was never one to keep priorities.

He reached out a hand to enclose her elbow and turn her towards him. And then he jerked her close to let her fall against him. And he committed a mistake he was well aware of when he pressed his mouth against hers. And because she pulled her arm away from his grip, and proceeded to loop it over his neck to force them close, he really didn't care that they were doing everything all wrong.

Part 8

He pushed her against the wall. His hands tangled in her skirt. The next thing he knew, he had pushed his knee between her legs and was hiking up the hem of her gown.

"Michael," she murmured against his lips. "I need you." She ran her hands on his chest, fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. "I need you inside me," she breathed. "I need you moving deep inside me."

"No." He pulled his mouth away from hers. "We need to talk."

Maria shook her head. She placed her hands on either side of his face. "Don't do this to me," she pleaded. "Michael, I need you so much!"

His heart was racing. The pounding in his ears was deafening. "You still love me?"

"I'll talk to you later. Now, kiss me." She pulled him towards her.

"Maria, what's going on?" he demanded. He extricated himself from her grasp, and ignored her protests. Michael stood at the far end of the room. He couldn't believe how much control he had. Maybe that time in the loony bin did him some good. He'd write to some of the doctors there, send them a thank you card.

When he'd established a good amount of distance, the fire in Maria's eyes that he had associated with lust died. She appeared sleepy and calmer. "I'm sorry," she apologized. She leaned her head back on the wall and closed her eyes. "Just stay that far from me, okay?"

"Nobody's being fair, Maria. Something big is happening and I know I should be informed about it!" He had locked them up here, true. But he didn't know how long it would hold against Max's powers and Brody's resources. "Dammit, Maria, throw me a line here!"

Maria gazed at Michael, not yet fully alert, but responsive. She smiled suddenly, as if she had been told the funniest joke in the world. Had she had enough energy, she would have rolled on the floor laughing. "Throw you a line! I like that," she chuckled softly.

To his puzzlement, she just continued on to a bedroom that Michael noticed was not too different from her own room when they were still in high school. He followed, keeping the distance though he didn't know why. He was relieved not to find any man's stuff anywhere, which meant she wasn't sharing a room with Brody.

She turned to him, holding a bottle of pills that he was too far to read. "And speaking of what's not fair, Michael… Do you think what you did to me two years ago was fair?" Her voice wasn't accusing. It was like she was just asking an everyday question.

"Maria, what's past is past. I made a mistake by leaving, I know that. But I had to. I was dying here."

She sighed. "So was I."

"Will it make a difference if I said I'm sorry?"

She opened the cap of the bottle and shook out two pills. And then, methodically, she took water from the cold water dispenser. She placed one pill on her tongue, swallowed with water, and did the process over. And then she screwed the cap back on, replaced the bottle inside the drawer and sat down on her bed. "I haven't been mad at you for a long time, Michael. I've never been angry with you."

"But they all are," he said.

"They'll forget."

"What did I do so wrong? What was Isabel talking about? How did I kill you, Maria, when I was so far away?"

He seemed haunted. But who wouldn't be so affected when he was clueless as to what was happening around him.

"Maria, I'm so tired of asking questions. Why are you with him? Why is this house so highly protected? Does he still think he'll be abducted? Or is it because of you?" Maria recognized that vulnerability. It screamed in the way he hunched his shoulders and the way he looked down on his hands. "Maria, I saw you die. Why are you alive?"

"Who says I'm alive?" she answered softly. Slowly, she approached him. The emptiness inside her needed him. She couldn't deny it. Rationally, she knew this was not the way to go about this reunion. But ever since she met Michael Guerin, Maria De Luca had rarely been rational.

When she pressed that soft kiss on his shoulder, Michael closed his eyes. There was no longer any use fighting her. He had needed to be with Maria, and if this was all it's going to be from now on, then so be it. He would be her lover on the side if she wanted. And even if it would kill him to see her married to Brody, he would take what he can get.

He allowed her to pull him to her bed. With half-closed lids, Michael watched Maria take off the clothes she wore when they announced her engagement to another man. He easily removed his clothes and lay on top of the covers naked. Maria came to him, knelt on the side of the bed, in bare skin. She crawled on top of him, and her now hot skin seared his. In her eyes Michael saw a primal hunger. He cupped her face and drew her down to caress his lips with hers.

"I need you," she whispered into his mouth, and Michael swallowed the words as his hands moved to her waiting heat.

"I love you," he replied.

~~

Max Evans was furious at the sight that greeted him. Furiously, he worked on the alien-proof locks. All night he tried to find a way to get in. But thirty thousand dollars apparently ensured the owner that even the Antarian king would not be able to use his powers on it.

Around midnight, when it became increasingly certain that he would not be able to open it, he had sent Liz to Brody to tell him to spend the night with Sydney over at the Valentis'. Although worried about Maria, Brody had learned a long time ago to trust Max.

Now it was almost morning. Together with Kyle and certain illegal acquisitions from the Sherriff's office, Max was finally able to enter the Desert Palace itself.

And cursed out loud at the image of the entwined bodies on the bed.

For his part, Kyle instantly turned his eyes away. He thought that it was a great sin to actually stare at his sister naked. It was obvious what exercise Maria had been doing all night. And unlike Max, Kyle wasn't pissed. He had been worried last night, when Maria seemed to be hellbent on marrying Brody, who had always been nice. Maria wasn't the type who can be handled by someone who's just nice.

"Max, get out of there!"

He heard hard voices coming from the bedroom, followed by soft and soothing ones. Kyle imagined that it was probably Michael comforting Maria. Max's voice was enough to wake the dead. Moments later, Michael and Max came out, the former in a feminine frilly robe.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Max demanded.

"Look, Maxwell, I did what I did last night because I needed answers. And none of you were giving any."

"And did you get those answers?"

"No," Michael said quietly. "But I do know that Maria still has feelings for me."

That was Kyle's turn to butt in. "Of course she still has feelings for you. She never stopped loving you."

"Then why is she marrying Brody?"

"Michael." Three men turned to see Maria from the doorway of her bedroom. "We need to talk." She turned to Max. "I'm sorry, Max. Don't blame Michael for what happened. It was all me."

Max shook his head. "Do you really want to do this, Maria?"

"I think that no matter how much he bungled things, Michael deserves a hearing. And it's time he found out."

"You need us here, Maria?" Kyle asked.

"I'll speak to Michael alone."

The two men murmured that they would meet them later at the Crashdown, or here at the living room afterwards. Maria waved them away. When they've gone, she turned to Michael. "Step into my parlor?" she said lightly.

"Said the spider to the fly," he continued. He was serious when he went instead to the bedroom.

Maria followed him inside. A pink blush stained her cheeks when her eyes fell on the state of the bed. "Brody Davis has been my savior, Michael. He and Max. And Isabel. And Liz. And Kyle. But to answer your question, I am marrying Brody because he has been everything to me. He's the reason I'm alive right now. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm marrying him because of how much he's done and been to me ever since you left."

Michael swallowed. "What's with the secrets, Maria? Why is this place so secure?"

"We're living here because we can't let anyone else find out what's happening inside these walls, Michael. Here in the Desert Palace, we cheat death every week. We need the privacy of this place for the procedures. First, it was because I had to be charged by energy. And then," she paused painfully, "later when that was no longer needed, I had to be injected with alien blood to survive."

"Why?"

Maria stared at him for the longest time, wondering if he should know. There was no point. He could not have done anything. But it was still something that he had to know. "I couldn't sustain the demands of an alien embryo." Michael caught his breath. His hand reached out to enfold hers. "The baby needed your presence, your energy. At the time when you couldn't come, Max charged us with his. But it couldn't survive for long by that substitution. I… Our baby died."

By that time, Michael was holding Maria in his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. "I didn't come when—"

"And then we found out that because the baby was expelled prematurely, there was damage to my system. I needed your blood to survive. Not all the cells were used, and they stayed inside me. And I—"

"You died." Maria nodded.

"And Max's blood sustains me."

Michael took a deep breath. "What do I have to do?"

"I don't know," Maria whispered. "But last night… I think what happened between us helped. Michael, could you call Max on the cell and tell him that I'll meet him later at the Crashdown?"

"Sure." Michael's lips burned their way across Maria's jaw and to her lips. "I don't know how to say sorry," he said.

"You just did." Maria smiled at Michael's retreating form. When Michael closed the door behind him, the smile faded. She took a deep breath, fear clawing deep inside her. She had never felt more complete or recharged, not even directly after Max injected her with blood. She knew that now she would never need Max Evans to do it again. Making love to Michael produced the result that was certain to center all the alien cells remaining inside her to one point that would release in time.

Maria lay back on the bed, propped up by pillows. She parted the edges of her bedrobe and stared down at the pale flesh of her belly. She closed her eyes and eased her breathing. Maria pressed her palm on her womb and fought the tears of happiness and pure terror.

Part 9

2002

"That's impossible, isn't it?" Maria's small voice seemed to come from the deepest recesses of a yawning cave.

Letting out a swift breath, Max shook his head. "Theoretically, it's fairly easy. We…" he stammered for a bit seeking for a subtle way to phrase his suggestion, "introduce Michael back into your system. If… the union should result to the same—"

"Stuff it, Max," Maria said wearily, "and say it as it is. I'm not a blushing virgin. Being the not so innocent that I am is what brought this all on."

The king who was now only a helpless boy wet his lips and cleared his throat. He nodded. "When you get pregnant, the cells mutated by the last miscarriage will be released when the baby is born. Hopefully then your blood chemistry will return to normal."

Maria felt the firm grip of another hand over hers. She glanced up at Brody, who asked, "What if she conceives from someone other than Michael?"

"The cells that are poisoning her would no doubt wreak havoc on the child as well. I suggest that you not even try." To Brody directly, Max spoke the next words, because he knew that it was the information that would settle the decision for the man, "Maria will not survive another miscarriage like that."

The millionaire met his eyes. "I understand," he replied slowly. He looked at the girl sitting on the bed and smiled. He had been effectively asked not to touch or think of Maria sexually in any way. Brody noticed that Maria dropped her gaze at Max's pronouncement. "It's all right, Maria. You're going to be fine."

Liz frowned at the two, deep in thought. She locked eyes with Isabel. "Well your theory will never pan out, Max. Isabel tried. We can't find Michael Guerin."

"Then we're going to have to continue giving Maria the blood shots."

"Indefinitely?" Maria inquired. At Max's nod, she closed her eyes. "We're never going to be able to keep this a secret."

"Of course you will."

"How? He has to inject me weekly, Brody! Sooner or later, people will notice something—"

"Not if you're in a protected area, miles away from civilization, or at least with a hell of a security system surrounding you."

Isabel perked up on her seat. "Where are we going to find that—unless you're planning on Maria getting convicted and sent off to a death row island."

"I've been meaning to ask you even before I arrived back, Maria… It's just that now things are speeding up a bit. I want you to come live with Sydney and me. Sydney loves you so much. I'll put up all the money for the house. I'll build it with high fences, huge lawn. I'll get Max's and Valenti's help in securing it—"

"Brody!" Maria interrupted. "No… Everything's changed now. I can't let you do this. We can't ever—"

"Sydney adores you. You can just ignore the fact that I've been in love with you since you were a junior, but I won't let you turn your back on that. Maria, please. Just be Sydney's mom. That's enough for me."

She took a deep breath. He was giving her all the answers. He was solving all the problems, providing her with the safety she needed so badly right at that moment. "I can't do that to you."

Maria stood up to leave. "Now that we know what this is, I can't stay around and let you both expect something that I can't—"

"Maria, this is the best—"

"We'll find better!" she insisted.

"There's nothing better, Maria."

Maria tried to shut out their voices. She opened the door and turned to see the little girl in the corridor, rubbing sleep put of her eyes. "Auntie Maria, what's going on? Are you going outside? Can I come? I can't go back to sleep."

Brody and her friends waited for her for long hours in the living room, knowing that she would come back since she had brought nothing along with her. They did not expect to see her walk into the door carrying a sleeping Sydney, whom they thought was sleeping peacefully in her room.

Brody took his daughter out of Maria's arms. He met her eyes and saw how tired she was. "You need to sleep."

"Will we have separate rooms?" she asked quietly.

Brody looked at Max and back at Maria and nodded. "We'll see an architect and an interior designer tomorrow. And then we'll arrange for security."

"What if… what if Michael comes back?"

"He won't come back, Maria," Liz said.

Brody answered the question as if he hadn't heard Liz at all. He knew that her decision depended on how he would answer the question. "If Michael Guerin comes back, I'll feel what you tell me to feel."

"God, Brody, I don't deserve this. Nobody deserves this."

He carried his daughter to her room.

2004

Maria stared at her hands. Quietly, she said, "I owe my life to you." She had already finished talking to Max. Now, it was time to talk to the man who would be hurt by her actions. "And I made the biggest mistake of my life. I don't know if saying sorry is enough."

"Maria."

"He left me. And when I was dying, he didn't even come home to me. I lost my baby because of him. And I can't stop loving him."

"What do you want me to feel, Maria?" Brody asked softly.

"Are you serious?" She blinked watery eyes at him.

He nodded. "I told you I always keep my promises."

"I think you should be mad." He nodded. "And disappointed. You should be cursing me and yelling at me to leave your house and never ever talk to you or your daughter again."

"How would that make you feel?"

"Hurt. But I deserve it."

"Then that's not something you want me to feel. Tell me what you want me to feel about this, Maria."

Maria shook her head helplessly. "I guess… I want you to be happy for me. I want you to wish me well. And above all else, I want you to feel that you don't want to take away my contact with Sydney." She raised her eyes to meet his for the first time in their conversation. "She's my daughter now too, Brody."

"I will be happy for you when I see that he makes you happy. And you know that I will always want the best for you. If that means Michael Guerin, then it's Michael Guerin." He reached across the table and held her hand. "I would never take Sydney away from you. I cherish her good opinion of me too much."

Maria took the ring off her finger and pressed it into his palm. She stood up and walked over to his side. Maria kissed his cheek and whispered, "I'll love you forever for this, Brody."

"That's all I ever asked." He saw Michael Guerin stride into the Crashdown and over to where he and Maria were. Brody noted the tense stance of the younger man. "You don't deserve her."

Michael acknowledged that with a nod. "I know." He looked at Maria beside Brody and with careful artist's eye, picked up on the details that reaffirmed that. Everything about Maria told him about the incredible comfort and luxury that Brody was able to give her. On her ears, quietly blinking, were pearl drops with tiny diamond borders. Her clothes probably cost months' salaries. "I don't have anything, Maria."

"Is that it then?" She thought about the child who was only a few hours old in her belly.

"I need to find a job, keep it, resettle back here in Roswell. I'll work my ass off trying to belong again. I know I'll do it, but it will take time. Can you wait for me?" he asked, uncertain.

Maria bit her lip and closed her eyes. She stepped towards him and didn't move to hug or kiss him. She stood there in front of him and cried. Michael leaned and enfolded her in his embrace. And then she threw her arms around his neck. He inhaled her fragrance and met Brody's eyes from where the man stood watching them, an engagement ring warming in his fist. Michael mouthed, "Thank you."

The man heaved a sigh and mouthed back, "Job interview. Three o'clock."

fin


End file.
